Cooking Class at Scotts Square From S$50: ABC Cooking Studio

ABC Cooking Studio, at 6 Scotts Road, #02-04/05/06, Singapore 228209, is the Singapore branch of the Japanese cooking school chain, set on the second floor of Scotts Square just off Orchard Road. First-timers can book a two-hour trial lesson in cooking, bread or cake with up to four people per instructor. The trial costs S$50 on weekdays and S$65 on Saturdays and Sundays, and the studio is open from 10 am to 10 pm every day.

The school traces its start to November 1985, when Hiroyuki Yokoi combined a tableware and cookware business with a cooking school in Fujieda, Shizuoka. Its first city-centre studio opened in Shibuya in March 1993, and it later expanded to Shanghai, Taiwan, Korea, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. Singapore's first studio opened at Takashimaya in April 2015. Today the official site lists a single Singapore studio, at Scotts Square. The recipes are developed by the company's team in Japan, and students take home illustrated copies.

The trial is a two-hour taster aimed at first-timers who are thinking about joining. Lessons run every day at four start times: 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30 pm and 7.30 pm. Each table has up to four participants and one instructor, so you get plenty of hands-on time and can ask questions as you go. The studio provides a digital recipe, all ingredients and the equipment. At the end, the instructor explains the membership options, course structure and package discounts, so set aside a few minutes after cooking for that conversation.

There are three regular trial menus, and you choose one when you book. The cooking menu is nikujaga, the Japanese simmered beef and potato dish, served with rice cooked in a pot and miso soup, and it is a good introduction to Japanese seasoning. The bread menu is Nutty Maple Blossom, a soft coffee bread with caramelised nuts and a coffee drizzle, and the cake menu is Rich Gateau Chocolat. Until 2 November 2026 there is also a seasonal Halloween trial, Peek-a-boo, a layered cake with caramel and pumpkin buttercream decorated with chocolate ghosts.

A trial lesson costs S$50 per person from Monday to Friday and S$65 on Saturday and Sunday. If an existing member refers you, the price falls to S$40 on any day. Members themselves can join a trial free if they bring a first-timer friend. Aprons are compulsory: bring your own or buy a disposable one for S$2 or an ABC apron for S$15. Each participant gets one free carrier bag, and extra bags cost S$1.

The trial has strict eligibility rules that matter for visitors. You must be a first-timer who is not a member, and you must be Singaporean or have lived in Singapore for at least six months, with an NRIC or FIN needed to book. Participants must be at least 10 years old and 130 cm tall. Anyone under 18 needs an adult who books a seat and takes part too. Non-members can attend a trial only once. Overseas ABC members can join free only with a local first-timer friend, and they arrange this by email.

Punctuality is enforced. Arrive at least 10 minutes early, because anyone more than five minutes late is turned away and the lesson is forfeited without a refund or reschedule. The dining area is reserved for participants, and friends or parents may not stand to one side and watch. Dishes from a cooking trial must be eaten in the studio, and you cannot take them away even with your own containers. Bread and cake trials come with packaging so you can carry your bake home.

The official site carries a notice that online bookings for regular and trial lessons are temporarily unavailable while the company deals with a website security issue. The FAQ also allows you to reserve in person at the studio during opening hours. Trial bookings for groups of five or more are not allowed, and the studio asks for a month's notice for group lessons of 5 to 12 people.

Take the MRT to Orchard Station on the North-South and Thomson-East Coast lines and follow the exit towards Scotts Road, Shaw House, TANGS and Scotts Square. The walk takes three to five minutes. Buses stopping nearby include services 7, 36, 77, 105, 106, 111, 123, 132, 174 and 502. Drivers enter Scotts Square from Scotts Road, where there is a paid car park.

The 7.30 pm slot ends at 9.30 pm, which suits anyone working in town, since you can head straight from the office and still be home at a reasonable hour. With a morning slot, walk up Scotts Road past the Goodwood Park Hotel, then follow Tanglin Road to Tanglin Gate of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is free to enter. The walk takes about 15 to 20 minutes. If you choose the cooking trial, skip a big meal beforehand, because you will eat your nikujaga set at the studio.

The trial suits Singapore residents who want to learn Japanese home cooking or baking in short sessions and might join a course afterwards. The small tables and illustrated recipes make it friendly for beginners. It is not a tourist class: short-stay visitors cannot book unless they are overseas members bringing a local friend. For visitors, Singapore's heritage cooking schools in Chinatown are a better fit. For residents, the trial is a cheap way to judge the teaching style, the studio and the sales pitch before you commit to a package, and the weekday price is the best value if your schedule allows it.

ABC Cooking Studio, Scotts Square Studio, 6 Scotts Road #02-04/05/06, Singapore 228209. Open daily 10 am to 10 pm. Trial lessons two hours at 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, 4.30 pm and 7.30 pm: S$50 weekdays, S$65 weekends, S$40 member referral. Residents only (NRIC or FIN), age 10 and 130 cm or taller. Apron compulsory. Over five minutes late means no entry.